


A Second Chance

by VillainInMyOwnStory



Category: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Dates, Getting Together, Hopeful Ending, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22723183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VillainInMyOwnStory/pseuds/VillainInMyOwnStory
Summary: When Nathaniel runs into Rebecca at the LA Zoo two years after he saw her performing her music for the first time, he isn't sure what to expect. They make plans to get dinner, and Nathaniel panics.Who can he go to for advice on how to make things work this time around?
Relationships: Rebecca Bunch/Nathaniel Plimpton
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32
Collections: Crazy Ex Girlfriend Valentine Exchange 2020





	A Second Chance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Articianne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Articianne/gifts).



> Part of the Crazy Ex Girlfriend Valentine Exchange 2020. Thank you to Articianne for the request!
> 
> Content warning for disordered eating, although Nathaniel is in therapy and working on it.

Nathaniel uncurled his hand slowly in a friendly wave. The black howler monkey – Otto – uncurled his own in response. The monkey’s big, round, human-like eyes bore into Nathaniel’s, as if to say, “I see you, friend.” Nathaniel smiled.

“Oh my god – Nathaniel?!” he heard from behind him, and his head shot up. He thought he almost recognized that voice – maybe if it were a little higher-pitched, a little less measured…

He turned around. _Oh, wow_. _It_ was _her_.

_Rebecca._

Nathaniel hadn’t seen her in two years, since she’d performed her original music for the very first time at that bar in West Covina. God, it had been a long time since he’d been back there, even living so close by these days.

She looked radiant. Her hair was dyed darker than its natural colour, which reminded him of some very – ahem – erotic moments in their lives, and she was wearing a bright yellow sundress with pink and blue flowers. She’d put on some weight, which Nathaniel couldn’t say made his heart beat any slower – even if he sort of wished he could, just for his own peace of mind – and it looked like she’d also been doing some more tricep dips.

_Wow._

“OOOOO!” a monkey howled, bringing Nathaniel out of his trance and reminding him he should really say something. He’d have to bring some extra treats by their habitat later in thanks.

“Rebecca!” he greeted. “Hi, how are you?”

“Great, how are you? What’s new? It’s so weird to see you here – weren’t you in Guatemala the last I’d heard? You’d gone in-house at a zoo there, right?”

Well, at least Rebecca hadn’t changed completely – she was still asking more questions than he had time to answer.

“Yeah,” he went with. “Well, an animal sanctuary actually, but yeah. Got out of the real estate business. I moved back up to LA about a year ago, though – got a job working in-house right here, in fact.” He gestured around them at the zoo.

“That’s amazing,” Rebecca said. “What made you come back?”

Nathaniel blushed and ducked his head slightly, but he didn’t let the embarrassment stop him from telling the truth like he might have at one time.

“My mom, actually,” he answered. “We, uh… never really had much of a relationship before, and we’ve been starting to build something up again. It’s slow-going, but… eventually I figured I could make more progress if I could actually visit sometimes. So here I am.”

“Damn,” Rebecca replied. “Not gonna lie, I’m impressed. My mom and I barely even have a relationship at this point, and that’s being generous.”

Nathaniel shrugged. He knew he was lucky.

“Seriously, though,” Rebecca continued, reaching forward and up to punch Nathaniel gently in the shoulder. “Congratulations, friend. You’re glowing.”

“Thanks,” Nathaniel nodded. He really was happy. “But what about you? What’ve you been up to since the show?”

Rebecca grinned, and god if Nathaniel didn’t still love that grin. He was so fucked.

“Writing,” Rebecca said. “I’ve actually sold a few things!”

“Yeah? That’s awesome, so things have really taken off?”

“I mean, I’m not rich and famous or anything,” Rebecca chuckled. “But I’m actually making enough to get by, with the help of a very astute financial advisor, and frankly that’s saying a lot for a songwriter in LA. And anyway, I’m… happy,” she finished, blushing into the shoulder of her dress. Nathaniel could tell she was.

“So…” Rebecca wheedled, which historically never worked out in Nathaniel’s favour. “Want to get a donut or something? I’ve been walking around all day, and I’m starving.”

Could Nathaniel actually eat a donut? Well, the point was really just to chat, right? He could probably just get some ice cream or a water or something… Nathaniel had been working hard on his fear of carbs, but some things – like donuts – still tested his limits, and he was feeling kind of nervous right now as it was.

After all, _Rebecca Bunch_ was standing in front of him.

“Sure,” he agreed after a moment’s hesitation, letting her lead the way towards the food court.

They ended up at the Churro Factory, and Nathaniel ordered a small popcorn. Rebecca went for something called a churro sundae, which Nathaniel thought maybe he’d try a bite of sometime. Not today, definitely, but… sometime. If he was here with someone again.

“So,” Rebecca said when they were sitting down together. “Do you think we can just… start over?”

Nathaniel blinked. _Start over?_ They’d just –

Rebecca continued. “You know, put the past drama behind us. It’s something – well, I don’t know if you want to hear this, but in the interest of honesty, it’s something Greg and I did when he came back to West Covina. We just sort of said _hi_ , _nice to meet you_ and forgot about everything that had happened before. There’d been a lot of toxic stuff, you know? And I just thought maybe you and I could try something like that?”

Something squeezed in Nathaniel’s chest, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t the memory of Greg. He wasn’t sure what it was, though, and getting to know who Rebecca was without all the drama _did_ sound like a good idea, so…

“Deal,” he said. “We’ve never met.”

Rebecca put her hand out to shake, and Nathaniel found himself grabbing it without thinking.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Rebecca Bunch, and I’m a songwriter in West Covina. I’m visiting the zoo to get inspiration for a song about someone I used to know, and I’ve already fallen in love with three kinds of snake and an anteater. I love pretzels and a lawyer named Paula, and I consider myself a feminist-in-progress. Jameela Jamil is my idol. I take anti-depressants and go to therapy twice a week because I struggle with borderline personality disorder. I sing show tunes in the shower and at the occasional karaoke night, and… I’m currently single.”

_Oh._ Nathaniel let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. His heart was suddenly beating loudly in his ears after that last part.

Okay, he could do this, right?

“That’s a lot to know about someone you’ve just met, but okay,” he nodded, swallowing deeply. “Hi. I’m Nathaniel Plimpton – the Third, but that’s a whole thing – I’m in-house counsel at the LA Zoo, and they give me free passes as a perk, so I’m here at least a couple times a week. Cheetahs are my favourite animal, though I’ve grown pretty partial to alligators over the years. I love water polo and basketball, and I live with my dog, Artemis. I have daddy issues and a tendency to mask my pain with anger, and I’m… also single.” He blew out another breath.

Rebecca just smiled and brought a hand up to fiddle with her hair. Nathaniel couldn’t help but notice she was getting ice cream in it.

\---

Friday. They’d agreed to meet for dinner on Friday.

_Why had he agreed to that?_ Friday is, like, a proper, actual date night – they can’t pretend they’re keeping things casual and friendly when they’re getting dinner on a Friday!

It was possible Nathaniel was panicking. He didn’t know what he was doing! Did he love Rebecca? Well, he certainly _had_ loved some version of Rebecca, but it was hard to say he really _loved_ her when he’d only seen her once – now twice – in three years. And anyway, love her or not, they had been a _disaster_ together! He had had his heart broken far too many times, and he was finally in a good place, and was he really willing to just throw that all away for _Rebecca?_

He needed to calm down. He tried taking deep, calming breaths like his therapist had taught him, and when that didn’t work he made it all the way downstairs to his punching bag before he started hitting things. He worked out for probably half an hour – just enough time to get some of his nerves out of his system so he could focus.

Then he grabbed some water, sat down on his mat, and thought while he stretched.

_What am I actually nervous about?_ He thought. _That she’s going to leave me again? That she’s going to go crazy? That I’m going to turn into someone I haven’t been in a long time and never actually liked?_

_All of the above?_

Okay, he could do this. He wasn’t going to approach things rashly – instead, he would calmly and rationally reach out to someone for advice. Someone who understood.

\---

“Ohmygod you’re getting back together with Rebecca?!? This is amazing, we can get the whole band back together!” George squealed.

Nathaniel sighed and rolled his eyes. Why was he doing this again?

“Look, I didn’t say we’re getting back together,” he told George, slowly. “All I’m saying is we’ve talked, and we agreed to go out to dinner – _one dinner_ – and see where we go from there. We could just be friends, I don’t even know!”

It didn’t matter what he said – George was already lighting up like a beacon.

“No, this is perfect, because then you’ll fall in love, and what better person to run a business with than your lover, _riiight?”_ George waggled his eyebrows all too suggestively, sending spiders crawling up Nathaniel’s spine. “And I can come work for you, and Paula will _obviously_ want to join up too to be with Rebecca, and we’ll basically have the whole crew together! Only now that I’ve got this luscious ponytail, everyone’ll remember me and take me seriously. We can be like the Fantastic Four! I’ll be Johnny Storm.”

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow condescendingly. “First of all,” he said, “ _Never_ say the word _lover_ to me again. And second of all, I’m obviously Johnny Storm.”

“Fine, can I be Mr. Fantastic?”

“Rebecca’s obviously Mr. Fantastic.”

“Well who am I then? _Not_ the invisible one. I have a ponytail now.”

“You can be the camera guy who follows us around or something.”

“What?! But there’s only four of us and it’s the Fantastic Four! It’s literally in the name.”

“Look, it doesn’t matter. We’re not getting the firm back together. Literally _none_ of us have the slightest interest in that,” Nathaniel stated.

“What about me?” George asked.

“What about you?”

“Oh, come on!”

Nathaniel smirked. He and George were actually on pretty good terms these days, but sometimes he needed to be teased to remind him of his place in this relationship. Otherwise George got a bit overexcited. Case in point.

“Look,” he conceded. “We’re obviously _never_ going to work together again – that was a shitshow the whole way through – but how about you and me – _just_ you and me, we’re not bringing Rebecca or Paula or anyone else into this – make plans to see each other more regularly, okay? We can have a standing engagement every, I don’t know, two weeks or so.”

“Make that every week and you have yourself a deal?” George asked hopefully.

“Absolutely not, I have a job and a life and a full-time exercise regime.”

“Okay, deal,” George accepted, reaching out to shake Nathaniel’s hand enthusiastically. Then, “Wait! Will you come watch my magic club show this weekend?”

Nathaniel rolled his eyes, but it was more in amusement than anything else. “Yes, I’ll come see your magic show,” he nodded.

Besides, he had been led to understand the magic club had gotten a lot more acrobatic since Chan had joined their forces a few years back, and he was curious to see how that would all play out.

\---

“…. 11, and 12,” Whijo huffed, finishing off a set of bench presses. Nathaniel, spotting, helped him guide the weight safely back into its holster. “All right, so spill. What did you want to talk about?”

Nathaniel bit his lip. He’d come to White Josh – whom he’d mostly taken to calling Josh these days, since he only really had the one Josh in his life – for advice about his dinner with Rebecca. Other than George, Josh was the only person Nathaniel saw regularly who actually _knew_ Rebecca, so it seemed like the obvious choice.

That said, Josh wasn’t exactly a huge Rebecca fan.

“Okay, so – you remember Rebecca?” he asked, casually. Definitely casually.

Josh’s face instantly morphed into one of contempt, and he pursed his lips.

“ _Please_ tell me we’re not talking about Rebecca Nora Bunch,” he groaned.

Judging by the way Josh’s shoulders slumped in resignation, Nathaniel’s silence was all the answer he needed.

“Look, man, you don’t understand,” Nathaniel tried. “I saw her the other day at the zoo, and she seemed really chill, okay? I think she’s genuinely changed.”

“Everyone _always_ thinks she’s changed,” Josh pointed out. Nathaniel had to give him that, but this was different. Rebecca had spent years working on herself, and there hadn’t been a single red flag during their conversation the other day. And having been through the therapy ringer himself, Nathaniel was pretty sure he could recognize a red flag when he saw one these days.

“You didn’t see her,” he told Josh. “And anyway, we got to talking, and we made plans to get dinner – nothing serious, we’re taking the preseason one game at a time – and anyway, I just wanted someone’s advice.” He shrugged.

“Okay, first things first, nothing is ever ‘not serious’ when it comes to Rebecca.” Josh overexaggerated the air quotes as he spoke. “You’re diving straight into the deep end with her, that’s just the way it is. But more importantly, dude, she’s _crazy._ You know this. Remember that time she convinced everyone Chan was a pathological liar just to get us off her ass? Or how many times she quit Whitefeather & Associates, or just didn’t bother showing up at all? Or how she _cheated on her fiancé_ with you? Don’t think she wouldn’t do that _to_ you just as fast.”

“Okay, yeah, she’s done some odd things,” Nathaniel conceded. “But she wasn’t in a good place then. She’s a writer now, and she’s in therapy, and she seems happy! And so am I. So isn’t there a _chance_ we can be happy together?”

Josh sighed. “I just don’t think you should get your hopes up, okay? Maybe… ask her if she’d be willing to go to couples’ therapy with you. So you can catch things, before they get out of hand.”

This was not at all the advice Nathaniel was looking for. _Couples’_ therapy, seriously?

He said as much, and Josh shrugged nonchalantly.

“Hey, dude, it works. Darryl and I went to couples’ therapy, and it was the best choice we ever made, much as I hate to admit it.”

“You and Darryl broke up,” Nathaniel pointed out.

“Well, sure, but first we talked things through and got onto the same page. Hey, if we hadn’t’ve done that, maybe we’d still be together now, and I’d have a kid I didn’t want, and Darryl wouldn’t have met April or had Ellie, and neither of us would be happy.”

I mean, he did have a point there.

“I just don’t think it’s fair to ask her to go to _therapy_ with me on a first date,” Nathaniel pushed.

“Your call, man, I just think you need to protect yourself if you’re going to go into this. Defense wins championships, am I right?”

Nathaniel didn’t respond, wasn’t sure he wanted to. _Fuck_ , this was frustrating. Was he actually making a mistake here? It didn’t feel like it, but then why couldn’t any of his friends give him the advice he actually needed? Wanted? Whatever.

“C’mon,” he said to Josh, ready to not have to think about this anymore. “Come hold the punching bag for me.”

That, at least, Josh seemed happy to oblige.

\---

After his workout with Josh, Nathaniel decided to head to Home Base for some fries before he started the drive back into the city. He’d say he’d earned the fries after a tough workout and a tougher day, but his therapist didn’t like it when he made himself earn calories. Instead, he tried to convince himself he just wanted them and that was good enough.

He was sitting at the bar, absently picking away at the fries while thinking about what George and Josh had said. Both of them seemed to think this relationship was going to get serious, fast. He supposed that was fair – Rebecca had been the love of his life at one point. But what if he just wanted to take it slow?

Couldn’t they just pretend like they’d just met and take it from date one, like Rebecca had said?

And why did that thought make his food churn unpleasantly in his stomach?

He needed a nap.

“Nathaniel?” someone said from behind him. “Okay, what even is my life right now.”

He turned around and sighed when he saw Heather Davis of all people coming in behind him and rounding the bar.

“Oh wow,” he said, nodding at her. “So my _entire_ West Covina life is coming back to haunt me this week, then.”

“I mean you are literally _in_ West Covina right now, dude, but like _why_?” she asked.

Nathaniel shrugged, not feeling like getting into it. He liked Heather, they’d gotten along decently well – eventually, anyway – and she had been one of the first people to kick his ass into gear about being nicer to people. It’s just – she could be a lot.

“Okay, whatever,” Heather replied. “You’re never going to believe who I just saw.”

“Who?” he asked politely, really not convinced he cared.

“AJ – remember, the kid from the pretzel store? He’s in _law school_ now. Apparently he just got some internship or something at Paula’s firm – I feel so bad for the kid, honestly, I think I’ve literally only ever met one lawyer who’s happy in my life, and that’s Paula.”

“Maybe he’ll get to work with her a lot?” Nathaniel suggested. “Paula can be… a good leader… at least when she bothers to show up to work.” Nathaniel didn’t really have that many good things to say about Paula, but she had always managed to keep Tim and Jim in line. He’d tried not to ask too many questions about all that.

“Maybe,” Heather answered, but she seemed skeptical. “Well, anyway, at least he’s following his dreams. What I’ve learned, is that even if you don’t end up where you’re expecting to be right away, it’s better to try something than nothing.”

“So, what’ve you been up to these days, anyway?” Nathaniel asked.

“Still managing Home Bases around the area. I’ve made _a lot_ of changes around here. Ride share options to get kids home with their drunk parents, rosé ladies’ nights, special deals with the Dodgers to get some proper coaching in this place… I’m really good at this job,” Heather finished. Looking around, Nathaniel could see she was right. Home Base had really taken several steps up since the last time he’d been here.

Even the fries were better.

“But seriously,” Heather continued. “What are you even doing in West Covina? I thought you’d escaped this place.”

“Just coming by to see a couple of friends,” Nathaniel tried. “Actually, you know what? Fuck it, can I ask you some advice?”

Heather raised her eyebrows at the request, but quickly recovered, flipping her hair dramatically. “Only if you want to be told exactly how to make your life better,” she replied.

Nathaniel took a deep breath.

“Okay, so I ran into Rebecca recently,” he started, and noted that Heather didn’t look even remotely surprised. “And we decided to go to dinner, see how things go… and I guess I just don’t know what to expect? Like is this a bad idea? We crashed and burned last time around, and we’re both so much happier now, and I just… don’t want to ruin things, I guess. For either of us. And we sort of agreed to just pretend like none of our history ever happened, but what if that just sends us back down all the same paths again? And we just spiral out of control like we have every time before?”

Heather pulled up a stool from behind the bar and sat, leaning over on the table imposingly.

“You’re an idiot,” she said simply.

_Ouch?_

Nathaniel just waited for her to continue. He’d found Heather would usually tell you exactly _why_ you were an idiot if you just gave her a minute.

Sure enough, she continued. “Okay, I’ve always been Team Nathaniel – well, okay no, not always, but you’ve evolved, and I respect that. You know how to do nice things now, and express yourself, and be a decent person, so why aren’t you doing any of that all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, confused.

“ _Express yourself_ ,” she said pointedly. “To Rebecca. Why do you think talking to me about how scared you are about this date is going to help anything? Tell her what you’re afraid of, and keep telling her, and it’ll either work out or it won’t, but either way it’ll be fine. Duh.”

_Huh,_ Nathaniel thought. He hadn’t really thought of that.

“Okay, but what if things get crazy the way they used to? Whijo said we should go to therapy together or something, but that seems … excessive, right?”

“Whijo’s an idiot,” Heather confirmed. “You’re going on one fucking date, this isn’t like a shotgun marriage or whatever. _Talk_ to her. And keep in mind that yeah, you’ve evolved, but so has she. Literally no one’s worked harder on herself than Rebecca, okay? Trust her to listen to you, and to talk to you too. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Nathaniel nodded. He really could be an idiot sometimes. “How did you get so good at relationships, anyway?”

Heather sighed. “I took a _lot_ of psychology classes in community college. Besides, all my friends are stupid, along with my husband, so someone’s gotta do it, right?”

Nathaniel smiled. She wasn’t wrong.

\---

Nathaniel and Rebecca were sitting at a table, chatting casually and filling each other in on their work over the past few years. They’d gone to a Guatemalan place in Central LA – one that Nathaniel loved for their Chicken Pepian which never failed to make him nostalgic – and they’d just ordered wine when Nathaniel figured it was as good a time as any to bring up some of the things he’d been thinking about.

“Hey, so,” he started, reaching forward, taking it and fiddling with Rebecca’s fingers when she offered her hand. “I wanted to… talk about something with you.”

Rebecca straightened. “Okay, yeah, of course. What’s up?” she asked.

Nathaniel took a deep drink of his water before continuing.

“It’s just,” he started. “I’m really excited about reconnecting and everything, but I guess… I’m just not sure how I feel about this whole _let’s pretend we just met_ thing? I mean, I get that it worked for you and Greg, but…”

“But it isn’t working for you,” Rebecca nodded, sagely.

“It’s just that we have all this history, and I feel like we’ve both really had to work through some stuff. And I guess I’m just nervous that if we pretend none of that exists, I’m just going to end up burying my feelings and spiraling? Like you’ll want to hang out with some other guy, and I’ll get unfairly jealous because I’m remembering everything with Josh and Greg, but then I won’t want to talk about it because we’re not supposed to remember any of that, and I’ll just end up lashing out like I always do when I’m hurt and don’t want to admit it. You know?”

Rebecca was nodding along as he spoke, her forehead wrinkled in focus.

“Totally,” she said. “I mean, I could definitely see myself getting irrationally angry at you because you said something off-handed that reminded me of how much you used to hate Paula, or Josh, or how I was never skinny enough for you, or sane enough for you, or Mona enough for you…”

“Right? And I just think we need to be able to talk about all that if we want to have any chance of this working.”

“I fully agree,” Rebecca said. “I’m sorry for making it sound like I thought we should just forget about all that. All I really meant was that it would be nice to move past some of the big arguments, not feel like we needed to go back and settle everything that’s years in the past now. But… I can see how it might have come across as not wanting us to talk about things at all. And you’re absolutely right that we shouldn’t do that.”

_Wow_ , Nathaniel thought. He felt like there had been a vice around his chest, and it had just been taken off in a few moments of conversation. _Who knew it could be this easy?_

“Okay then,” he said. “I guess I just… needed to voice that. So if we do this – whatever this ends up being – we promise to talk to each other about how we’re… feeling?” He tried not to gag on the word, but could tell from Rebecca’s expression that he hadn’t quite succeeded.  
  


“And what scares us,” Rebecca added. “Thank you for letting me know that this was scaring you. And hey – I’m scared too, okay? About all of this. Just so you know.”

Nathaniel blinked hard against the stinging in his eyes. He could barely believe this was the same Rebecca – the same Nathaniel – who’d fucked up so many times in the past. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, not this early on, but… maybe they would be able to make this work, after all.

Maybe they hadn’t missed their shot. It had just taken them a few rounds to get there.


End file.
